Following the recovery and as part of ongoing disaster preparation, the Hyne Community Trust has been working with the local SES.
Trust Director and Tumbarumba resident, Janet Anderson said the main question was, “is there anything the Hyne Community Trust can assist with moving forward that could have supported the SES response efforts during the bushfires?”
The response from the SES and Rural Fire Service was quick and clear: “A generator!”
“The Hyne Community Trust has fully funded the purchase and installation of a new, 37kVA generator, sufficient to power the response facility shared by the SES, the Tumbarumba Rural Fire Service and the Forest Corporation NSW fire fighters and their required equipment.
“Notably, during the bushfires, power and therefore communications were lost. This generator would have enabled the instantaneous recovery of communications for the response teams including computer access. It would have kept fridges running to keep meals and water cold, supporting many volunteers.
“We understand the generator features as a key part of scenario training already and has become a valuable asset for our emergency response volunteers and therefore, for our community as a whole”.
Commander of the Tumbarumba SES, John Mansfield said the generator provides significant reassurance,
“We already know from our training that the generator kicks in straight away and with its large fuel capacity, does not require us to be refuelling regularly. This was a real issue with the small generators we eventually acquired during the bushfires as it took a full resource away from the field just to keep them running.
“In context, this generator has enough power for seven houses and will keep all our equipment including air conditioners, running to support our volunteers.
“Everything our volunteers do, round the clock, is for the community so the Hyne Community Trust support is about the broader community and we are very appreciate of their help to make our lives a little easier.
“The donation of the generator is with the ongoing support of the SES to maintain it and provide the fuel, as well as the Snowy Valleys Council whose land the facility is on.” Commander Mansfield said.
The Hyne Community trust is now closed for applications and will open again in June 2023. For more information on the Trust and how to apply, click here.
